Writing for Software Developers and Other Tech Crowds

For most writers, the idea of drafting tech-dense copy and content for a developer crowd is about as dull as it gets. Connecting the dots between complicated ideas to produce digestible content can be tricky — and dreadfully slow if you don’t have the patience to learn.

But, if you can stomach the grind and build a foundational understanding of a given tech topic, you’ll position yourself as a go-to candidate for this highly in-demand type of work.

What does it take? Here are a few tips to help you write for developers, software engineers, programmers and the like.

4 Tips to Help You Connect with Your Tech Audience

Loads of content and copy is built for these kinds of techy crowds. The power of the written word permeates across all industries, be it B2B software businesses, open-source platforms or developer-focused building environments. Here are a few examples of what we mean:

• External/internal messaging and comms
• Trend reports
• Case studies
• White papers, lite papers, etc.
• Developer relations content
• Developer experience content
• Web page content
• Industry-specific newsletters, blogs and social content

Some companies build open-source environments that need to reach developers to grow. Others engineer abstraction layers on top of existing tech to make the day-to-day easier. Whatever the product, they need to reach their audience, and that means crafting a message, tailoring content and finding pain points.

This type of writing often blurs the line between copywriting and technical writing. If you’re building an expertise in a particular tech industry, knowing how to manage both marketing copy tasks as well as technical content is a killer combination. 

Let’s explore some quick tips to help you master this audience.

Know Your Stuff

You’ll want to have a rich understanding of any given industry. Developers, engineers and programmers aren’t looking for a 101-level guide. They want rich, informative and, most importantly, valuable content.

You certainly don’t need a degree in computer science, but an understanding of the logic, theory and background of a subject can get you a long way.

For instance, say you’re writing for a company developing a platform to make deploying cluster cloud computing easier on engineers. To even scratch the surface of reaching this audience, you can imagine a cursory understanding of those words will be insufficient — think more specialized knowledge, not general. 

Know Your Audience

One misunderstanding of tech communities is that they’re a monolith. What works for one works for all. Underneath this surface understanding is a wide breadth of different micro-cultures, pain points and goals.

Take developer communities. Each respective programming language has a culture of dedicated fans by its side. Knowing when to connect with this type of audience and what to say is critical to producing content and copy that engages and sticks.

Moreover, you need to understand what pain points each community faces. What peeves a Rust developer may not be important to someone who mainly works with Python or Java.

Find a Balance

Just because you’re speaking with a knowledgeable audience doesn’t mean you need to bore them to death. When you can, inject a little creativity into your work.

Of course, this is dependent on what you’re writing. You wouldn’t want to crack a joke in a white paper. That being said, if your content is more marketing-focused in nature, your goal is both to inform and engage.

Here is where knowing your audience comes into play. A little inside joke that only they would get goes a long way in building credibility, standing out and making an impression.

Unearth Your Overall Goal

Writing without a purpose can lead you to boring content. Underneath any brief is a goal. Understanding that goal is key to crafting a killer piece of copy.

For example, if your goal is to attract developers with a witty social post, you’ll need to structure your content accordingly. That might mean focusing on a common paint point, giving the wound a little squeeze and ending with an industry-specific CTA. 

Engagement is great, but conversions take you over the line.

Get It Right the First Time with Hire a Writer

If writing for a crowd of developers or engineers gives you a scare, Hire a Writer can help. Our team of skilled and experienced writers can help you craft the perfect piece of content or copy. Get in touch today to learn more about our services. 

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